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Perimeter Global Outreach Partner Featured in Special Africa Issue of Nature

July 15, 2011

The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, founded by Perimeter Director Neil Turok, was one of the proven initiatives highlighted in the respected magazine.

A recent special issue of Nature highlights PI’s Global Outreach partner, the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) and the Next Einstein Initiative (NEI), as part of an in-depth analysis on how African nations are building capacity in scientific research and development. The special issue explores several aspects of Africa’s development in regards to population growth, foreign investment, agriculture, and education, seeking out models and initiatives across the continent with proven impact.

Neil Turok, Director of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and AIMS founder, shares the story of AIMS and NEI in a Comment piece titled "Africa AIMS High". Professor Turok gives a personal perspective on the opening of the first AIMS centre in Cape Town, South Africa, and the growing potential of the Next Einstein Initiative to unlock Africa’s prosperity and solve the continent’s toughest challenges from within.

More About AIMS and NEI

The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) is a globally recognized centre of excellence for postgraduate education and research based in Cape Town, South Africa. Its mission is to rapidly and cost-effectively expand Africa’s scientific and technological capacity by providing advanced training to exceptional African graduates. Since its establishment in 2003, 305 students, 33% of them women, from 31 African countries, have graduated from the AIMS centre in South Africa. Their track record is outstanding, with over 95% continuing to Masters and PhD degrees and the vast majority remaining in Africa to apply their skills in African universities, research centres, government, NGOs and industry. The Next Einstein Initiative (NEI), stemming from Neil Turok’s TED Prize wish that "the next Einstein be from Africa", is a strategic plan to build on the success of the first AIMS centre and create a coordinated pan-African network of 15 AIMS centres by 2020, producing 750 well-qualified graduates per year.

The Role of PI Global Outreach

Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (PI), in Waterloo, Ontario, is a leading international centre for research in foundational physics. PI’s Global Outreach program, with AIMS-NEI as its centrepiece, is devoted to promoting and sharing expertise with emerging centres of excellence in physics and maths worldwide. As the North American coordinating partner for AIMS-NEI, PI Global Outreach facilitates the participation of other public and private partners in advancing its mission.

Further Exploration

About Perimeter Institute

Perimeter Institute is the world’s largest research hub devoted to theoretical physics. The independent Institute was founded in 1999 to foster breakthroughs in the fundamental understanding of our universe, from the smallest particles to the entire cosmos. Research at Perimeter is motivated by the understanding that fundamental science advances human knowledge and catalyzes innovation, and that today’s theoretical physics is tomorrow’s technology. Located in the Region of Waterloo, the not-for-profit Institute is a unique public-private endeavour, including the Governments of Ontario and Canada, that enables cutting-edge research, trains the next generation of scientific pioneers, and shares the power of physics through award-winning educational outreach and public engagement.